my life as a nomad

random comments on nothing really important

-the road trip is finished. it was a hoot. if you haven't checked it out already, the whole thing is chronicled and archived and stuff like that. if i remember to i'll post the link over in, ironically enough, the "links" section. so yeah... it was wicked awesome.

-i have a job. or at least, i sort of do... until christmas. i got hired by u.p.s. for some temp work during the holidays delivering packages. and get this... in all likelihood, i'm going to get to deliver them on bike! you're thinking, biking? in maine? in the winter? with a load of packages? sounds crazy. and it is... which is why the idea was so attractive to me. as soon as i was aware of the possibility, i was sold on the job. i used to dream of being a bike courier when i was a kid, and although this is slightly less glamorous it's essentially the same thing. so i get to be outside, ride a bike, and deal with winter weather, all while getting paid. AND, i get to wear their classic brown uniform (i even get to keep the hat). i'm pretty excited... orientation starts thursday, work might start next monday and then stay fairly steady through christma, at which point i'll either try to get a permanent job with u.p.s. or seek new employmeny elsewhere. but for now, i'm thrilled to death

-would you shave your beard if it meant getting a job? one guy in the interview/information session yesterday decided no. when he heard that they require employees to be clean-shaven, he raised one hand (while stroking his long and scraggly beard with the other) and asked "so, you mean my beard would have to go?" when he found out that being clean-shaven and possessing a majestic beard were not compatible, he got up and left. it made me laugh. although, in the guys defense, it was a pretty impressive beard

-a 'christian' men's magazine i picked up at church last sunday had their annual "men of the year" article. not terribly original (nothing in the magazine really is), but a pretty safe and solid subject for an article. they had a few classic nominations (pope benedict, the american soldier, george bush, franklin graham, rick warren, etc,), but as i was scanning through it i was sort of flabbergasted by the following nominations (remember... "men of the year." in a 'christian' magazine)...

• jose canseco, because he "decided to be a rat rather than a hypocrite." excuse me? mr. canseco wrote the book because he needed money, and he knew that if he pointed the finger at other athletes the book would sell (which it has... over 400,000 copies printed so far). and if anything, the book glorifies steroid use, with the description of his lavish lifestyle. plus, he once had a baseball bounce off his head and over the wall for a home run. and that will never be forgotten
• napoleon dynamite. ok, great movie, but... it came out in 2004. and he's a fictional character. and if you nominate people based no their being morally clean movie characters, what about mr. incredible? aragorn? ron burgundy? (ok, so maybe not that last one)
• darth vader. see above, with the addition of whaaaat?!? rediculous.
• brad pitt , for "proving that having a sexy wife does not guarantee a perfect marriage." it also mentions his involvement with the ONE campaign. ok, first, glad you're supporting the ONE campaign brad, but so are a lot of people. nothing terribly unique there. and the whole "sexy wife" thing just blows me away. i can't even believe that a purportedly christian magazine would either (a) nominate a man who is divorcing his wife and in all likelihood currently involved in an adulterous affair with another women, or (b) applaud him for proving via his divorce that beauty does not bring about happiness. i'm so befuddled by this that i'm writing to the editor to see if there was some misunderstanding or mixup in selecting him. makes. no. sense.

-i painted the bathroom today. or rather, i finished painting it, because i'd already done some scraping and priming over the weekend. why do i mention this? not really sure

-this new year's eve is going to be epic. that's pretty much the only word that could describe it. epic. now just need to pray for clear weather on new year's morning...

-is there anything better than having ordered something and waiting for it to arrive in the mail/ups/etc? i'm not sure there is. i ordered a few books and cd's on amazon.com with some birthday money (mega thanks to my sis!) and now i'm eagerly anticipating their arrival. i love books, and i love music, and i love getting things in the mail. so this is gonna be huge.

posted by Patrick @ 6:00 PM